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The Al-Rajajil Standing Stones

Al-Rajajil, sometimes referred
to as the Standing Men, or Standing Stones, are a collection of some
fifty groups of man-made stone columns near the ancient oasis town of
Sakakah in Al-Jawf province in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The stones are
arranged in groups of four or more, joined at the base and leaning
outwards at random angles. Some of them have appears to have fallen
over.
Nicknamed the Stonehenge of Saudi Arabia, the Al-Rajajil stones are believed to have been erected more than 6,000 years ago.
Photo credit: www.skyscrapercity.com

Archaeologists
do not know much about Al-Rajajil, such as who built them and what
their purpose was. The stones do not seem to fulfill any religious
purpose as no human remains or religious artifacts and offerings were
discovered in the vicinity of the stone pillars. However, the alignment
of the stones seem to suggest an astronomical connection. This is not
immediately apparent from the ground level, but aerial images suggest a
rough alignment to sunrise and sunset.
It is also possible that
the pillars were landmark for a trade route. Al-Jouf was a significant
stopover point on several ancient trade highways which connected the
Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Syria. One trade route, one of
the oldest land route in recorded history, ran from Yemen and parallel
to the Red Sea coast through Madinah, Al-‘Ula and Madaen Salih. It
turned northeast to Al-Jouf and then north toward Damascus and Turkey.
By traveling north and northeast to Al-Jouf, then east in this way, the
road avoided the harsh sands of the Great Nafud to the south and the
less passable terrain of Wadi al-Sirhan (Sarhan) to the north. The
stones may have been an indicator of the presence of the cross-road, and
the safer route to take.
The standing stones of Al-Rajajil represents an enigma that very few have heard of.
Photo credit: retlaw snellac/Flickr
Photo credit: www.skyscrapercity.com
Sources: IB Times / Arab News / www.arriyadh.com
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The Al-Rajajil Standing Stones
Reviewed by photofun4ucom
on
March 18, 2018
Rating: 5